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Speaking at the Joint Committee on Health and Children, Mr Reilly said total extra funding needed at the moment for the HSE was €219m.

However, he said that due to savings of €20m being found within the Department of Health, the next extra funding needed would be €199m.

Mr Reilly said the overspend was less than 1.6% of the health budget for 2013 and was a considerable achievement considering demand, demographic pressures and the need to ensure patient safety.

During the hearing, Mr Reilly also denied suggestions that there has been a targeting of discretionary medical cards.

He told the committee that he had issued instructions to the HSE that there should not be such a campaign.

Mr Reilly added that there had been a disparity in the system, with a low level of discretionary cards in certain parts of the country and other parts where the level was hugely high.

He said the system had to be run on a transparent rules set, but that there was compassion in it.

Salary top-ups

Mr Reilly also said his department will use all powers available to it to ensure public pay policy is adhered to.

Responding to questions about salary top-ups at the CRC and other Section 38 agencies, Mr Reilly said one of the avenues open to do this was through the service-level agreement with the individual bodies.

However he said he wanted to make sure it was done in a way that affected those in breach of rules relating to salaries, and not those who were using the service.